Paradise Found in Koh Lipe

Khao Sok Nationald Park, Koh Lipe, and Bangkok in 9 Days – Day 5

When someone says beaches in Thailand, what does come to your mind? White sandy beach shaded with coconut palm trees, turquoise water, and limestone cliffs with a background of blue sky – picture perfect. Which places in Thailand do come to your mind? Pattaya or beaches of Krabi or beaches of Phuket or Phi Phi island or islands of Gulf of Thailand? I have been to all of the above, but nothing could beat the picture perfect beach of Koh Lipe. It is a paradise found in Thailand. Koh Lipe is also known as “Maldives of Thailand”, now I know why. It is located in the deep south of Thailand in Satun province, very close to Langkawi island of Malaysia. I spent two heavenly nights here.

Highlights of the Day

  • Transfer to Koh Lipe
  • Lipe Beach Resort

From Pak Bara to Koh Lipe

The owner at the Farmsuk Residence and Resort had booked ferry tickets for us. That would take us to Koh Lipe from Pak Bara. The stay included free transfer by an aircon van to the pier. It is just 10 km away from the resort.

Farmsuk Residence and Resort, Satun, Thailand
If you are planning to take a ferry to Koh Lipe in the morning, it is a good idea to spend a night before in this nice resort of bungalows in the woods of Satun province
Groupfie before leaving the resort
We were all ready by 8.30 AM to bid adieu to the beautiful resort and boarded the van to the pier

At the pier, we grabbed few fruits and local stuff for breakfast. There are plenty of shops to eat next to the pier, and also at the pier. But be there few minutes earlier so that you can check in easily before you board the boat.

While waiting for the boat at Pak Bara
Our speedboat from Pak Bara pier was scheduled at 9.30 AM, we had to check in 30 min prior, at around 9 AM
The boat stopped in Tarutao Marine National Park on the way to Koh Lipe
Koh Tarutao Marine National Park is one of Thailand’s most exquisite, unspoiled regions – and our boat made a short stop there before proceeding to Koh Lipe
The island looked killing – we reached there in 1 h and were only 30 min away from Koh Lipe – we were all excited for how Koh Lipe would look like
Speedboat ride was risky
The speedboat ride was crazy, not suggested for pregnant women, heart patients, and kids should be constantly accompanied by adults – the boat jumped off the water high and bumped on the waves like mad – it was funny to the drivers, not to us

Koh Lipe has 3 beaches. Pattaya Beach has all the boats coming to. Sunset Beach offers great views of sunset. Sunrise Beach is the nicest of all providing clean turquoise waters in unbelievably beautiful white sand beach.

We reached Pattaya Beach of Koh Lipe at around 11 AM. We purchased the entrance ticket for the national park. That cost 200 ฿ per person. The beach also has the immigration check point. It is for people coming down from Langkawi, Malaysia, which is only 30 min away from Lipe. The beach resort we booked was Lipe Beach Resort. It is located on Sunrise Beach. It is only 1 km away from Pattaya Beach, hence walkable. But as we had luggage, we took two motorcycle taxis that dropped us to the resort.

Lipe Beach Resort

Till date, Koh Nang Yuan was my most favorite island in Thailand, now it has moved to the second position, the first being Koh Lipe, especially this particular Sunrise Beach is breathtaking where Lipe Beach Resort is located.

Lipe Beach Resort in Sunrise Beach, Koh Lipe
The beachfront resort is a true paradise for travelers – it has the best location in the island

The resort features different bamboo and wooden bungalows that are beachfront facing the sea, garden rooms facing the garden, and sea-breeze rooms having a partial sea-view. It also features family rooms. We had booked a beachfront wooden bungalow and a family room.

Beachfront wooden bungalow in Lipe Beach Resort
The beachfront wooden bungalow has a balcony with a daybed and Thai pillows facing toward the Sunrise Beach that allowed us to relax and enjoy uninterrupted sea views
Inside the beachfront wooden bungalow in Lipe Beach Resort
The room has a comfortable four-poster king size bed with other room amenities
Ensuite bathroom in the beachfront wooden bungalow
The ensuite bathroom is spacious and equipped with rain shower and complementary toiletries
Inside the family room in Lipe Beach Resort
The family room has two four-poster king beds, AC, shower with hot water, and a balcony with garden view

All the rooms have the facilities of attached bathroom, free WiFi, and hot shower, and the whole resort area is under CCTV surveillance, so you can chill and enjoy. There are also laundry facilities and travel desk at the reception. Breakfast is also included with the stay.

Elephant Beach Bar and Restaurant
Elephant Beach Bar and Restaurant is the restaurant in the beach resort where we had great meals
Lunch in Elephant Beach Bar and Restaurant
The vegan Thai cuisine served in the in-house beachfront restaurant – the Penang curry, the Thai red curry, and stir-fried mixed vegetables – all of them tasted excellent
More food for us
We had also ordered deep-fried vegetables and Pad Thai and they were good too

In the evening, all of us spent good time playing on the beach, getting photos clicked with such a postcard background scenery, and also got massage.

Random photo clicked on the beach
Sunrise beach has the best white sand and clear turquoise water in the island – if in Koh Lipe, stay nowhere but here
Getting photos in such a beautiful scenery
Sunrise beach is a picture-perfect beach – I could not resist myself from taking photos
Taking massage in front of the beach
Getting a massage in front of the beach gave us a chance to revitalize our body and soul and create an incredible feeling of relaxation and stress-relief
Delicious dinner in Elephant Beach Bar and Restaurant
We indulged ourselves into a plateful of French fries and vegan Pad Thai while chatting over various topics over dinner
Sunrise beach in the dark
The night was dark and the heart shaped design on the beach was lit up the whole night – it looked dangerously beautiful

The beach makes a good, romantic quiet stroll in the dark. We had a great time in the balcony of the beachfront wooden bungalow. We sat till late night and did a lot of chatting. Later, off to bed – I had plans to get up early and catch the beautiful sunrise.

Khao Sok National Park, Koh Lipe, and Bangkok in 9 Days – Day 6

The surrounding archipelago of Koh Lipe is filled with unspoiled islands and reefs. Its clear waters is filled with bountiful of sealife. A boat-trip to the mystical islands around Koh Lipe and snorkeling on their waters was our plan. We had booked a sunset trip to 4 of the best snorkel sites. It includes a visit to Koh Hing Nam, the mysterious island made out of polished black stones, and a sunset stop at Koh Adang.

Highlights of the Day

  • Relax on Sunrise Beach
  • Sunset Trip to the Nearby Islands
  • Walking Street of Koh Lipe

Relax on Sunrise Beach

Today we had the whole daytime for us to enjoy and relax on the beach.

Sunrise right in front of our resort
It was a little late and the morning was cold, yet I did not give up to catch a glimpse of the sun from the beach
Complimentary breakfast in Lipe Beach Resort
In the morning, there are few options of breakfast like congee (rice porridge), pancakes, fried noodles, fried rice, etc. – these are included with our stay
Inside the beachfront restaurant of Lipe Beach Resort
There were also facilities of complimentary hot beverages along with the breakfast served inside the restaurant
Sunrise Beach, Koh Lipe
The crystal clear turquoise water of the sea is very inviting – swimming and snorkeling are must-do activities there in Sunrise Beach

Sunset Trip

As our breakfast was heavy and we had it late, we did not feel hungry at all for lunch. Also, we had plans to snorkel and getting into the water with heavy stomach was not a good idea, so we just had few nuts and dry fruits and headed to Pattaya Beach for the snorkeling trip.

Cool stuff on the way
We came across this beautiful, vibrant board of places and facilities in Koh Lipe

Make sure you carry the ticket of the national park entrance, otherwise you have to buy it again. We were carrying the ones we got yesterday while entering Koh Lipe.

We reached the tour office in Pattaya Beach by 2 PM to take up the boat tour. The guide provided us with masks, snorkels, and fins, and then led us to a longtail boat on the beach. The boat departed at around 2.30 PM. In the boat, there was drinking water for all of us. Life jackets were also available for each of us.

Snorkeling at Koh Jabang
Our first stop was Koh Jabang, which is known for soft corals and seven-colored corals – the water was clear and visibility was nice
Island of beautiful stones was our next stop
Our next stop was “Island of Beautiful Stones” – it was a pleasure to walk bare feet on those smooth stones piled high and in an almost entirely uniformity
Strange yet beautiful mystical stones of Koh Hin Ngam
Koh Hin Ngam is not about white sandy beaches, it is made of dark-grey stones that wash ashore after being polished by untold time in the deep – some are precisely oval discs while others bear intricate spirals of nature’s design – note that you are not allowed to pocket a stone or two as souvenir
Clear turquoise waters of Koh Rawi
Next we approached to a white powdery sandy beach where the water was crystal clear – the beach is known as King’s Beach as a Thai king visited this very shore 200 years ago
Boulders on the way to Koh Adang
The countless boulders of Koh Adang look to have been tossed randomly while we were making our way to the shore
Sandy beach of Koh Adang
The boatman offered us freshly cut pineapples and watermelons while we found a place to relax on the sandy beach of Koh Adang
Sunset from the Adang island
Soon the sun started setting off beyond the horizon
Sunset from the boat on our way back
The sunset looked more beautiful from the longtail boat while we started making our way back to Pattaya Beach

We arrived at the Pattaya Beach at around 6.30 PM when it was dark.

Walking Street, Koh Lipe

We headed to the Walking Street that stretches from the Pattaya beach front until the middle of the island, which connects to the main road. We were surprised to see the crowd there.

Walking Street in Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is a relatively small island and the Walking Street is the center of attraction of tourism for the whole island

Here, you can basically find everything you need on this island from convenient store, pharmacy, clinics, massage parlors, street food, restaurants, bars to even night bars.

Dinner in Walking Street
We found a random restaurant in the walking street and were delighted with the lovely Thai food they served us for dinner

Later, we walked back to our beach resort. It was the last night in Koh Lipe. We stayed up until late to the lovely sea breeze and sweet sound of the sea waves.

Khao Sok National Park, Koh Lipe, and Bangkok in 9 Days – Day 7

Koh Lipe was inexplicably beautiful – its turquoise mirror water and unspoiled powdery white sandy beach, especially that of Sunrise Beach will surely call me back again sometime soon. Sleep in the comfortable bed of Lipe Beach Resort was sound and well. Breakfast was usually served from 7 AM to 11 AM. I filled myself with rice porridge today with boiled vegetables on it sprinkled with a lot of black pepper. Finally it was time to bid adieu to the most beautiful beach of Thailand.

Highlights of the Day

  • Back to Bangkok

Koh Lipe to Bangkok

We discussed with the receptionist of the Lipe Beach Resort about the right time to leave the hotel. We had to catch the ferry from Pattaya Beach at 11.30 AM. She checked our tickets and called two motorcycle taxis as per our ferry time. It took only 5 min to reach the Pattaya Beach by the motorchycle taxis. 

Posing before leaving
The heart shaped design is the symbol for Lipe Beach Resort, and a great prop for photos too

26 thoughts on “Paradise Found in Koh Lipe”

  1. Koh Lipe looks nice! And I love the bamboo and wooden bungalows of the Lipe Beach Resort, it’s exactly the kind of place I love to stay at when I travel to a place with gorgeous beaches. Good to know that it is easy to get to Bangkok from here.

  2. Followingtherivera

    Wow Koh Lipe looks stunning! I’m in a very cold place when writing this so would love to be on that beach right now! The resort is very pretty too!

  3. koh lipe looks so stunning..never heard of thsi place..as always thanks for jotting down all the info in one post…its quite useful..i luv this wooden houses…would luv to stay in one of those on my visit..

  4. With beaches as pristine as this, sea water as crystal clear as this, and accommodation as luxurious as this how can you not call this place paradise? The perfect place to truly get away from it all and indulge 🙂

  5. Those beach-front wooden bungalows look so cool! And the food looks delicious! Also, I need to get me there for one of those massages too! Not to mention the beautiful beach! Definitely have to add Koh Lipe to my list now! 🙂

  6. I didn’t make it this far south when I was in Thailand but I wish I had now, the beach’s look amazing, especially sunrise beach 😀 – One of the things I did love about Thailand was staying in those wooden huts on the beach (apart from the mosquito always found a way in through the nets) – And really, is there anything better than getting a massage on the beach 😀

  7. I have always wanted to go to Koh Lipe! I had wondered about the speed boat transfer and you have just confirmed what it was like. I did a similar one in Koh Samui when we were heading out the National Park and omg….. they are crazy! Its like sport for them to see what waves they can crash into. One lady out the front hit her head and passed out. Food looks great and glad all your vegan options were met and the budget is so reasonable! Oh and the massages…. sooooo good!

  8. Koh Lipe looks just about perfect right now. I definitely wouldn’t say no to spending 3 days here. I didn’t explore enough of the islands when I was last in Thailand, and now desperately want to return!

  9. Paradise indeed! Look at how powdery that sand looks. I am really dying to revisit Thailand. I never managed to visit Koh Lipe on my last visit but hopefully the next time I am in Thailand it definitely needs to be on the itinerary.

  10. I can definitely see why Koh Lipe is your favorite island in Thailand – it looks like an amazing travel experience from your post and photographs. A stroll along that beautiful Sunrise Beach at Lipe Beach Resort sounds so perfect and I’d love to indulge in some of those delicious vegan Thai dishes served in the in-house beachfront restaurant . Your post makes me want to head off to this island for a much needed vacation! Thanks for sharing all these details.

  11. Another gorgeous blog post about beautiful beaches that I wish I could hop on a plane and visit right now. Thanks for the great tips. The next time I’m in Thailand, I hope to get to Koh Lipe!

  12. I love Thailand but I’ve never heard of Koh Lipe. I can see why it’s one of your favourite destinations in Thailand, it looks absolutely amazing. I’m already looking at planning a trip back.

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